Leo Sayer

Born Gerard Sayer, Leo Sayer notched a run of sleek mainstream pop successes across the late 1970s. His musical journey opened as frontman of the London-based Terraplane Blues Band in the closing years of the 1960s. In 1971 he launched Patches with drummer Dave Courtney, whose résumé already included stints alongside British pop figure Adam Faith. When Faith shifted toward management early in the decade, Courtney introduced the band to his former employer in pursuit of a recording agreement. Faith passed on Patches yet took an interest in Sayer and elected to guide him as a solo act. Solo recordings began with material Sayer co-wrote with David Courtney inside Roger Daltrey’s studio; the Who’s lead singer found the songs compelling enough to cut several himself, among them the hit “Giving It All Away.” Sayer’s first single, “Why Is Everybody Going Home,” left no impression, but 1973’s “The Show Must Go On” climbed to number one in the U.K.; a Three Dog Night cover kept the original from charting stateside. The next year brought his debut album Silver Bird, followed swiftly by Just a Boy, which yielded two further British hits—“One Man Band” and “Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)”—the latter reaching the American Top Ten by early 1975. His partnership with Courtney ended during sessions for the third album, Another Year (1975). In 1976 he delivered Endless Flight, written in tandem with former Supertramp member Frank Farrell; the set contained the chart-topping singles “You Make Me Feel like Dancing” and “When I Need You,” becoming his biggest seller on both sides of the Atlantic with more than a million copies moved in America. After Endless Flight, Sayer remained a regular presence in the U.S. Top 40 even as his British hits tapered off.

The 1980s opened with the American number-two single “More Than I Can Say,” his final major U.S. success. His last American chart entry arrived with the early 1981 release “Living in a Fantasy,” while British entries continued until 1983, when “Til You Come Back to Me” registered only a minor placement. After a low profile for the balance of the decade, he mounted a 1990 return with Cool Touch that drew scant notice. Lawsuits occupied much of the 1990s, yet he reappeared on the touring circuit toward the decade’s end, preserved on the 1999 album Live in London. Genuine revival came in 2006 when DJ Meck’s remix of “Thunder in My Heart” topped the U.K. charts. The breakthrough prompted fresh compilations and a 2007 appearance on Celebrity Big Brother.

Sayer moved to Australia in 2005 and became a citizen there in 2009. That country alone issued the 2008 album Don’t Wait Until Tomorrow, while he contributed to local film and television campaigns and maintained a steady touring schedule. Restless Years, a set of new songs, arrived in 2015 and was followed by Selfie in 2019.